Breakthrough By Indian Exhibitors At Apparelsourcing Paris

PARIS — December 4, 2014 — Apparelsourcing Paris will open its doors to visitors from February 17-20, 2015, for the eighth time A year-on-year increase of 20 percent in the number of exhibitors is anticipated! More than 135 manufacturers are expected from the major manufacturing countries, including Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Turkey and the Mediterranean rim, represented by Tunisia.

India, which is increasing its representation with more than 30 companies, deserves special mention. Indian exhibitors registered quickly, following their positive results at the September event. They could experience a similar rate of success, as buyers build up more summer items in February. Indian manufacturers excel at the mid-range entry level with an offer which is becoming more and more varied, particularly in mixed casualwear, bottom pieces for men, women and children, sportswear and accessories such as scarves and bags in leather and re-embroidered fabrics, in which they are becoming real craftsmen, targeting the top of the range.

At this fair, the eighth such event, Apparelsourcing Paris will roll out a high-quality, multi-range offer, highlighting solutions for supporting the production of branded and designer collections.

This represents a unique offer in Europe, with the short cycle of the Mediterranean Rim available to put collections into the shops in record time, with the acknowledged specialisms of knits, unstructured garments, shirting, denim, sportswear, casualwear and outerwear, for long-term volume sourcing to break into the mid- and top of the range and for ready-to-wear for men, women and children, providing a solution for everything, from OBM to private label.

“Multi-sourcing remains indispensable to enable brands and designers to deliver their collections in time, at the lowest possible cost,” said Michael Scherpe, CEO, Messe Frankfurt France. “Apparelsourcing Paris is the only European trade fair where professionals can find all their sourcing solutions and a quality offer at the best possible price.”

Fashion On Display — A Showcase For Exhibitors’ Ranges And A Promotional Tool
Launched in September 2012, Fashion on Display is a showcase made up of mannequins dressed in exhibitors’ pieces, selected from all the product ranges by the fair’s artistic directors.

The exhibitors selected thus benefit from exposure to visitors who have made Fashion on Display part of their programme, as pieces are displayed with all the relevant information – the name of the company, stand number, description and price. The artistic directors will be picking out very sharp and timeless pieces for the February event.

Buyers are short of time and are always seeking to enrich their collections. They appreciate this showcase, where they can find unexpected pieces and new suppliers. The next Texworld will take place beginning Monday, February 9 to Thursday Feburary 12, 2015, at Paris Le Bourget.

Posted December 9, 2014

Source: Messe Frankfurt
 

Tencate Composite Materials Replace Titanium For Orion Space Capsule Heatshield And Backshell Structure

MORGAN HILL, Calif. —December 5, 2014 — TenCate Advanced Composites North America, a leading global composite materials company for space and aerospace applications, has developed and provided heat resistant composites for the heat shield and backshell structure of the Lockheed Martin Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle, successfully launched this week. The suite of advanced materials of TenCate in this space capsule replaces the traditional titanium solution for re-entry and splashdown requirements, while saving weight and cost. The composite heat shield design allows very large composite structures to be fabricated out of autoclave.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Orion thermal protection group worked closely with TenCate Advanced Composites to develop a special heat resistant composite resin for the 16.5 foot (5 meter) diameter heat shield and the crew vehicle backshell structure of the Orion space capsule.

The successful launch this week of the NASA’s Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle represents the efforts, innovation and teamwork of many individuals and companies involved. “This week’s flight represents the culmination of a five year development and qualification effort for a suite of materials used in this extreme application,” said Steve Mead, vice president, Marketing & Sales at TenCate Advanced Composites. “Further, as a result of the heat shield’s large size and thickness, the advanced composites used had to achieve high consolidation using only a low pressure vacuum bag only process. TenCate is honoured to be one of Lockheed’s partners on this important space program.”

Posted: December 9, 2014

Source: TenCate Advanced Composites North America
 

AEC Acquires Narricot Industries

Asheboro, N.C.-based AEC Narrow Fabrics (AEC) reports it has finalized the purchase of Greensboro, N.C.-based International Textile Group’s Narricot Industries business unit. Included in the sale are the Narricot plants in Boykins, Va., and Murfreesboro, N.C.; equipment and inventories at those locations; and all Narricot products and certain intellectual properties.

The Narricot plants will continue to manufacture Narricot products, and Narricot employees now are employees of AEC.

“We are pleased to have Narricot join with AEC Narrow Fabrics and welcome its employees into the AEC family,” said Larry Himes, CEO, AEC Narrow Fabrics. “Narricot’s strengths in the military, automotive, fire and safety, fall protection, and industrial markets complement AEC’s work in these markets and our products for the apparel, medical, bedding and home furnishings industry. We believe the combination of these companies will serve to strengthen both as we leverage our technologies, product expertise and production capabilities across a more diverse range of markets and end uses.”

November/December 2014

The Dixie Group Acquires Burtco

The Dixie Group, Dalton, Ga., reports it has acquired the the assets of Dalton-based Burtco Enterprises Inc. Burtco, doing business as B Carpet, serves the hospitality carpet market. The company specializes in Tapistron® CYP tufted products made using wool or solution-dyed nylon.

The Dixie Group will continue to operate Burtco’s Chickamauga, Ga., tufting plant, and will hire substantially all of Burtco’s employees across the company from operations to sales and marketing. Elizabeth Moore, Burtco CEO, will continue to lead the operation.

To assist Dixie as it integrates the assets of Burtco into its current business, the company has retained the services of former Burtco President and CEO Robert E. Kokoszka.

November/December 2014

A New Openness In China

The title for the 2014 ITMF Annual Conference, held October 16-18 in Beijing, was “Shared Responsibility, Shared Opportunity.” Dr. Christian Schindler, Director General, ITMF, said: “We see the main theme as an indication to the responsibility of the entire value chain in the textile industry. The importance of partnerships is becoming increasingly more important than isolated analyses of individual companies or industries.”

The conference started with a look at the economic situation in China. Faced with a modest slowdown in growth possibly the world thought that China is in trouble— it isn’t. Fact is, China is shifting from a mass production country to a place where quality products are in the spotlight. In the 3rd quarter of 2014, the economy rose by 7.3 percent. Is there any other country that can show such growth?
 


Delegates from all over the world attended the 110th International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) annual conference in Beijing.

Strong Chinese Delegation
In an unusual fashion, the main topic was emphasized in most of the speeches and presentations throughout the conference. Chinese speakers particularly insisted on closer collaboration and cooperation between the Western world and China.

The majority of conference attendees came from China. One reason for this attendance pattern is definitely the ease of going to an event in one’s own country. Another reason was the election of Wang Tiankai, president, China National Textiles and Apparel Council (CNTAC), as the new ITMF president. Despite the rumors about a drop in China’s trade, is the fact that China is leading the way to the top of the global economy, and its arrival at the top will only be a matter of time.
 


Wang Tiankai, president, China National Textiles and Apparel Council (CNTAC) and newly elected ITMF president.

Uncomfortable Cotton Situation In China
Of particular interest is the fact that China is still holding a cotton stock of some 10 million metric tons (mt), an amount that equals annual Chinese consumption. Wang said frankly that the recent cotton policy in China has to be changed. However, said John Cheh of the Hong Kong-based Esquel Group, this will take years to be settled. “All stages of the production chain have a lot of expenses with stocks, cotton merchants, spinners and weavers, and the retailers do not understand why that is so,” Cheh said.

Gao Fang, head of the China Cotton Association, gave a very open presentation about China’s cotton policy. Her main targets are:

  • decreased acreage and production;
  • enlarged difference between demand and supply;
  • adjusted cotton policy; and
  • transformation between old and new system.

Gao mentioned that cotton prices now should be based on the markets and that spinners should be the buyers, not the government. From September 14 until March 15, the Chinese government will not have any influence on cotton prices, she assured the listening audience. However, if the cotton prices are too high, the government probably will release some raw material from the existing 10 million mt to balance prices.

Gao said the decreased acreage will be reduced by some 9.34 percent down to 4.23 million hectares, and that India could become the largest cotton grower in the world. She estimates the cotton consumption for the next season at some 8.5 million mt.
 


Gao Fang, head of the China Cotton Association, gave a very open presentation about China’s cotton policy

However, a stock of 10 million mt is normal for China and the stock’s only purpose is to stabilize the market so recent past volatilities with cotton prices will not occur again. Up-to-now, every cotton fiber farmed in China was sold to the government. Gao explained why there are two different cotton prices: There are 40 million cotton farmers in China, and the government bought their crops at above market prices to help stabilize the market. The price was determined in 2011 at 19,800 renminbi (US$3,236). Then the financial crisis occurred, the global price of cotton fell. The price set by the government — which is much higher than the current global cotton price — is not good for Chinese spinners, Gao said, and it will be changed in the future.

Ongoing Transformation
“We are in a strong transformation,” Gao said. “China is shifting from a mass production country to a place where we put much more emphasize on quality. And I can tell you the quality, and not only textiles, is getting better step by step. And therefore, if a country is transforming itself to another level, there are many bridges to cross and problems to be solved, both technically and mentally.”

China’s textile growth dropped from 10.8 percent in 2012 to 8.3 percent in 2013. In 2014, Wang expects the growth rate will further drop to 7.4 percent. However, one must know that in 2013 China was responsible for 37.1 percent of all textiles produced worldwide, and 80 percent of all man-made fibers also are delivered from China.

Demanding China
Wang also made several strong demands to further integrate and gain cooperation of the global textile industry to share and take more responsibility for all pending issues regarding resources and the environment. A more diversified structure within the textile industry would help shape more balanced trading within China. For the future of the textile and apparel market, he has clear visions about the key cooperation aspects of the global textile industries:

  • Integration of industrial supplying chain so as to have access to global markets;
  • Development of new fibers and technical textile products and extending applications; and
  • Consensus on free trade agreements to facilitate trading.

Consequently a technological change would facilitate international cooperation. Namely he mentioned:

  • Information and internet technology to make the integration of resources and new marketing strategies possible;
  • Information networks should be built to connect textile industries around the world to share resources and information;
  • New fibers, high-tech products, state-of-the-art equipment to back up the development of the global textile industry; and
  • International cooperation for development and application of new technology.

Wang is confident that in the near future China will be responsible for half of global fiber consumption.
 


 

Targets
Wang clearly defined the priorities of the Chinese textile industry: To improve basic research and development projects; to bolster technical innovations; to improve environmental conditions for a better climate; and to establish consistent recycling of textile waste. Telling the world a story is one thing, proving it something else. Bruno Lanvin, executive director, INSEAD’s European Competitiveness Initiative, said: “China is shifting its focus from just putting things together. China knows that if it wants to play in the top leagues, it needs to create and innovate, and they can do that only with a highly educated population.”

A Top Player
Today, things are changing, even the slogan “Made in China.” Wang and other speakers at the ITMF conference said quite often the “Made in China” label must be changed into a “Created in China” label. The plan is to transfer China from a manufacturing-focused country into an innovation-based economy by the year 2020. A survey said that last year, China overtook Japan in terms of research and development (R&D) spending. In 2013, the Japanese gross domestic product (GDP) dropped heavily because of yen depreciation. The invested money for R&D compared to the GDP fell from $202 billion in 2012 to $164 billion in 2013. Unbelievable, especially when one realizes Japan was the inventor of total quality management. Meanwhile, the total Chinese investment for R&D rose from $148 billion in 2012 to $166.5 billion in 2013.

Analysts expect that by 2018, China will overtake the combined R&D spending of Europe’s 34 countries. And by 2022, the nation’s R&D spending is expected to match that of the United States, when the two countries are expected to spend some $600 billion each. Many experts say China has the fastest growing expenditure in R&D. They mention that China has grown at an average annual rate of 20 percent per year over the past decade. One should bear in mind that the United States still leads the way in R&D spending globally. However, according to a report released early this year by the National Science Board, China is constantly closing the gap. The report adds that knowledge-based economic activity is gradually shifting toward Asia, particularly China, and Asia’s share of total global R&D spending has risen from 25 percent a decade ago to 34 percent today, reflecting rapid economic growth in the region. It’s time for the Western World to wake up! Today, the global economy is probably facing its biggest transformation since the start of the industrial revolution in the 18th century. And no one should miss it.

November/December 2014

Business & Financial: Improving Outlook

By Robert S. Reichard, Economics Editor

The year is ending on an encouraging note. Based on current reports, overall consumer demand, sparked by the start of the holiday buying season, has been fairly encouraging. One key reason: Accelerating gross domestic product (GDP) gains — with the current 3-percent-plus rate of increase now expected to spill over into the new year. Point to keep in mind here: Textile and apparel demand is highly correlated with GDP, with every percentage point increase in business activity historically resulting in a similar advance in textile industry activity. Moreover, still further buying incentives now are coming from both relatively low gasoline pump prices, which are freeing up a lot of consumer dollars; and increases in household net worth, which at last report was put at more than $81 trillion — 20-percent above the prerecession peak of 2007. Again, if past behavior is any indication, this also should help loosen up consumer pursestrings. Other things being equal, the above trends should not only strengthen textile demands, but also textile profits, which have begun to rise thanks to falling cotton costs that are now at their lowest level in five years. Moreover, this positive cotton impact on industry earnings could well strengthen. Reason: Global cotton glut that is being intensified by the recent decision on the part of China to cut its next year’s imports of the fiber by substantial amounts. Not surprisingly, some analysts now are suggesting cotton quotes could well slip another few percent over the coming months.

But Imports Remain High
All the above doesn’t mean that everything is coming up roses. One still disappointing sign: The failure of incoming shipments of textiles and apparel to taper off — even in the face of increasing talk about “reshoring.” Indeed, the latest import numbers actually have been inching higher. More specifically, year-to-date textile and apparel shipments on a square meter equivalents basis were running some 4-percent ahead of comparable 2013 levels. Two factors probably are behind this continuing strong inflow. First, today’s positive macro-economic climate has clearly increased demand for imports as well as domestically produced products. But still another reason for the lack of progress in slowing imports could be recent currency valuation moves by China. Ever since early this year, the Beijing yuan has been inching lower vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar. That’s in sharp contrast to the 20 percent yuan appreciation noted over the 2010-13 period. Other things being equal, this currency about-face is helping sustain U.S. demand for Chinese products primarily because Chinese producers now are less pressured to raise their asking prices.

Better Days Ahead
Despite this current inability to stem incoming shipments, the import outlook isn’t all that bad. For one, it should be noted that current import increases for the most part are being matched by similar gains in domestic textile and apparel output of these same products. This would seem to suggest that American firms no longer are losing market share. But even more encouraging for U.S. producers is the increasing likelihood of a “reshoring” speedup over the next few years. Any production shifts back to the U.S. haven’t been all that dramatic until now. But there’s plenty of evidence that this may be about to change. For one, the foreign labor cost advantage has been dwindling with overseas pay rates jumping as much as 20 percent annually over the past 5 to 10 years. Equally significant, American firms are becoming increasingly aware of the so-called hidden costs of importing, including the higher than U.S. energy outlays prevailing overseas, the hefty transport bills incurred bringing these overseas goods to U.S. shores, and the difficulty in making speedy adjustments to changes in user demand. The last point is especially significant in the textile industry where unforeseen fashion changes can result in sudden shifts in demand for many products. One industry executive figures that these factors can add as much as 20 percent onto a company’s real costs. Further add in the preference of U.S. consumers for “Made-in-America” products, and the still huge U.S. textile and apparel import total is bound to flatten out or even begin to edge lower — if not now, then certainly over the upcoming few years.

November/December 2014

APDN Technology For Pima; Captures Mislabled Goods

Applied DNA Sciences (APDN), Stony Brook, N.Y., reports a textile manufacturer has purchased a SigNature T® DNA mark to protect and authenticate extra-long-staple (ELS) Pima cotton. The technology will allow the textile manufacturer to mark its ELS Pima cotton at the ginning stage with a unique SigNature T DNA marker. The cotton then may be authenticated at any stage along the supply chain from the mill to the retailer. The textile company has branded its approach to preserving the integrity of the supply chain Fiber Forward™.

“The kind of value that comes from a trusted, traceable and transparent supply chain is immeasurable, and we know consumers respond well to brands they trust, and even more to products they know will wear and launder well,” said MeiLin Wan, executive director for apparel and textiles, APDN.

In other APDN news, the company reports its technology recently identified mislabeled textiles, which led more than $1 million of inventory — including yarns, finished fabrics and garments — to be held in quarantine. “We are proud to say that Applied DNA Sciences can protect textile retailers, brand owners, buyers of fine fabrics and their suppliers and consumers from the tricks that are not revealed until the second or third wearing, as the product begins to fail,” said Dr. James Hayward, president and CEO, APDN.

November/December 2014

SYFA Offers Opportunities

The Clover, S.C.-based Synthetic Yarn and Fiber Association (SYFA) presented its “Increasing Opportunities … What’s New In Textiles” fall conference at the Sheraton Airport Hotel, Charlotte, October 2 and 3.
Members from across the vibrant man-made fiber community and beyond gathered to hear presentations on a variety of topics from manufacturing to retailing to textile trade issues.

Conference sponsors included Premiere Fibers Inc., Pulcra Chemicals, DAK Americas, Nan Ya Plastics Corp., America; Oerlikon Barmag; and PolySpinTex Inc. Patrons of the event included the American Fiber Manufacturers Association, Clariant Corp., ExpoProducción Mexico LLC, Goulston Technologies Inc., Industrial Fabrics Association International; Industrial Plating Co., Milliken & Company, O’Mara Inc., Stein Fibers Ltd., Techtextil North America, Textile World and Unifi Manufacturing Inc.

Mark your calendars now for SYFA’s Spring conference, which will be held at the same venue April 16-17, 2015.
 


At the recent SYFA Fall conference, members of the man-made fiber industry united for two days of presentations.


SYFA President Mike Becker, Michael S. Becker Inc., welcomed guests to the event.


The Keynote Presentation on the first day of the conference was provided by Matt LeBretton, vice president of Public Affairs, New Balance Athletic Shoes Inc. LeBretton’s presentation was titled, “Made in the USA: One Athletic Footwear Manufacturer’s Commitment To Producing American-Made Shoes”


Debbie Fortnum, senior vice president of supply chain, Belk Inc., gave a speech about Belk’s Omnichannel Initiative.


Jerry Hall, senior technical manager, 3M Corp., talked about innovations at 3M and the company’s product development process.


Len Kulka, director, Creative Development Colorworks, Clariant Masterbatches, talked about the creative process in his “Color Forward Interiors 2015, Forecasting Trends and Colors for Fibers & Textiles” presentation.


Steven M. Warner, publisher, BeaverLake6 Report and TW contributing editor, presented a North American perspective on technical textiles.


Dr. Robert C. Fry Jr., senior economist, DuPont, was the keynote speaker on day two of the conference.


Well-known industry figure National Council of Textile Organizations President Augustine Tantillo gave attendees an update on the TransPacific Partnership and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations.


BB Engineering GmbH’s head of sales and customer service, and executive vice president, Dr. Wolfgang Ernst, gave a presentation titled, “Fibers From Recycled PET — Potentials, Markets And Technologies.”


Alasdair Carmichael, president, PCI Fibres (Americas), presented a fibers review including raw materials and recycling topics.


Dr. James A. Hayward gave an interesting presentation on “DNA Solutions For Authenticity and Traceability.” Hayward is chairman, president and CEO of Applied DNA Sciences.

November/December 2014

Yarns & Denims In New York

Spin Expo had a mix of international exhibitors, and presented a spectrum of yarn companies, two producers of metallic fibers with a sprinkling of China-based knitted garment makers. Exhibitors showed yarns spun of cashmere and ultrafine merino at the high end; for greater volume there were blends. Yarns tended to be ultrafine and lightweight or deceivingly lightweight and bulky. Eco-friendly products also were on display.

China-based Yarns and Colors showed three collections. In the least expensive there are bouclés, fake furs and eyelash effects spun using a combination of natural and man-made yarns. “The duty on wool is one-half the duty on synthetics, so it is economical to put in more wool,” said Felise Erdal, Yarn Mavens, agent for Yarns and Colors. The mid-priced range has comfy, cozy brushed yarns that are not too hairy; chenilles; and a yarn cut from printed fabrics and wound onto cones. The high-end collection from Yarns and Colors is selling well for menswear. The company showed soft yarns with a slight luster spun using silk blended with cotton or linen. Some of the most popular yarns include cashmere/silk bouclés, baby alpaca blends and an ultralight, fine 100-percent camel’s hair yarn.
 


Trends at Spin Expo included luxury and metallic fibers.
 

There are three brands from the Germany-based Sudwolle Group that are selling products in the United States — Biella Yarns, Richter Yarns and Yarns in Motion. Biella Yarns is one of the world’s major merino wool yarn spinners. The line features a lot of cashmere as well. Yarns spun using extra-fine merino blended with cashmere and nylon, silk and cashmere or alpaca are soft and fine. A 100-percent cashmere yarn is soft-twist spun to give it a softer hand, improved recovery and reduced pilling.

Yarns in Motion produces a sportier line. Hans G. von Schuh, managing director, sales, showed an ultrafine T-shirt knitted using a 15/5 micron extra-fine merino wool, and a 100-percent wool woven sports shirt that is ultrafine and lightweight. Both yarns have a cotton touch and are machine washable. The Sudwolle Group’s Richter line primarily sells to the sock industry.

There is a lot of novelty in the line from Italy-based E. Miroglio. Extra-fine merino worsted yarns are blended with cotton, acrylic, nylon, viscose or stretch in ultralight and open bulky yarns, soft fuzzy yarns, bouclés, and hairy or cut yarns. There is a new collection of viscose and elastane colored yarns for knits or woven jacquards.

At Todd & Duncan Ltd., Scotland, there are 2/28 cashmere yarns available in 165 stock colors. New products include denim-look yarns spun using 100-percent cashmere, 2/36 cashmere, and blends with silk or lurex. Last year, Chanel selected a heavier 5/26 cashmere. Ultrafine lambswool, colored nub yarns, slub yarns, and marled yarns made using cashmere, lambswool, or blends are other favorites.

Lana Reale, agent for Canada-based Jacques Cartier and Italy-based Casa del Filato, showed eco-friendly lines from both companies. Jacques Cartier offers yarns spun using qiviuk, fiber from the Arctic muskox, which have been bought by Hermes and Louis Vuitton. Yarns made using qiviuk are lighter weight than vicuña, hypo-allergenic and do not pill. Casa del Filato offers novelties in recycled cashmere and wool blends including tweeds and furry yarns.

China-based Hongye Cashmere Co. Ltd. is styled by Italians. The company uses cashmere yarns from Alashan. Unfortunately, today many of the animals are used for meat, which cuts down the yarn supply. New for fall are lightweight heathered yarns that are fine spun using worsted cashmere or merino and cashmere. There is a huge range of stock colors available.  

China-based Consinee is styled by Jane Sked, an English woman who lives in Hong Kong. The company offers an enormous color range, including fluro shades, which are in stock service. Yarns are spun using cashmere and blends with baby wool and yak fibers. There are Donegal tweeds and slightly heathered heavier yarns that have a vintage quality and soft hand and are selling to both men’s and women’s wear. Top Line from the Consinee Group features fancy yarns with lots of stretch. There are smooth felted yarns, wool bubbles on mesh, denim looks, super fine gossamer yarns, neps, bouclés, tweeds and ultralight thick and thin yarns spun with cashmere, mohair, alpaca and blends.

China-based Hua Lian offers lightweight chunky yarns, tweeds, tone-on-tones, marls and eyelash effects spun using merino wool, cashmere, acrylic blends or cotton-rich yarns. The company spins one million yards of cotton/cashmere annually, and its best seller is a clean, lightweight yarn featuring fine slubs.

Heathered or mélange yarns are a specialty of China-based Huafu. Other styles include marled effects, space dyes, Donegals, flat nubs and metallic touches spun with Angelina. At Meadowbrook Inventions Inc., Bernardsville, N.J., Angelina producer, Roberta Rushmann said the company is developing new fibers and colors to add to its collection of aluminum, copper, silver and iridescent fibers. Angelina fibers have a cashmere-soft hand and are eco-friendly.

The United Kingdom-based Lurex Co. sells a range of metallic yarns for knitwear. Some are twisted and some are transparent. There is a huge color range on the metallized polyester color card. Lurex/wool and Lurex/rayon yarns are soft.

Kingpins
Two fiber companies, Invista and Cotton Incorporated, showed new denims and developments at Kingpins. Jean Hegedus, Global Marketing Director-Bottoms, Wichita, Kan.-based Invista, told Textile World the company is launching a new campaign titled, “Lycra® Moves You.” The campaign brings to life three key benefits of Lycra — freedom, comfort and movement. “Some menswear denims have 30- or 40-percent stretch,” Hegedus said.
 


Jean Hegedus, Global Marketing Director-Bottoms, Invista

Stretch denim fabrics Hegedus showcased are wovens that look like knits made by Pakistan-based Siddiqsons and Taiwan-based Knitindigo; flecked and resin patches finished by Garmon Chemicals, Republic of San Marino; denim featuring CoolMax® from China-based Advance Denim; and denim featuring Thermolite® for warmth from the Black Peony Group.

Theresa Zugay, executive account manager, Cotton Incorporated, Cary, N.C., presented a variety of denim treatments developed by its product development department. Treatments include a blistered jacquard double knit in an indigo friendly color with crinkled metallic foil, gel dyes that are waterless and create tie-dyed effects, sulfur-dyed black denim that turns mottled gray, and sanded and embossed denims enzyme washed using stones for a paler look.

Silvadur™, an antimicrobial sustainable application treatment from The Dow Chemical Co., featured in several denim fabrics at the show, which require less frequent washing. Dow reports its promise of freshness is especially good for travelers, and there is increased quality with less degradation over the lifetime of a pair of jeans.

Kara Nicholas, vice president, design and marketing, Cone Denim LLC, said the company has worked with Unifi to develop a new yarn that has a soft, cotton-like hand, stretch and all of the recovery and washing benefits of a man-made fiber. ConeTouch, based on Repreve® recycled bottle technology, is made into a 12.5-ounce-weight denim for men and 9.5-ounce denim for women. Another new product at Cone is VaraBlue™, a cationic pretreatment for the warp yarn that produces yarn-dyed and ring-dyed effects.

Spain-based Tavex S.A. showed four new technologies. The Aquasave denim dyeing process uses no water. Tri-blend Technology is a new development combining super stretch with super recovery and low shrinkage. Using the high stretch of Lycra and recovery properties of Lycra T400, denim fabrics feature super stretch, retain their shape and are comfortable to wear. Absolute Fit, a blend of cotton/polyester/spandex, is highly elastic and provides ultra slim fits. Fitness Denim, a blend of cotton and spandex, is for men and offers comfort and flexibility.

New stretch denims at Denimatrix provide comfort and performance. A new stretch denim uses Lycra dualFX®, new dye shades are dark and saturated with high and low contrasts, and a new tri-blend of cotton/spun polyester/spandex has less sheen, a soft hand and good recovery. Stretch denim has become important in the men’s market, especially for young men who are into skateboarding and other sports.

Spain-based Santanderina S.A. is weaving Tencel®/bamboo denims that offer a luxurious soft hand. Some fabrics look like jacquards. The company offers indigo-dyed knitted denim with high multi-directional stretch, Tencel indigo-dyed yarn featuring a soft hand, and Tencel/cotton/nylon stretch fabrics that are color coated and lighten when washed.

November/December 2014

Tukatech Launches Cloud Based Collaborative Solutions For 3-D Virtual Garment Development and Faster Approvals

Los Angeles — December 1, 2014 — Tukatech Inc. has taken another step forward to improve the digital communication in the field of development and approvals of samples over the internet. Many suppliers and vendors are already sending digital samples for approval of the FIT and Look via e-mails with video attachments. This still lacks the precise communication or “being in the same room” experience.  Tukatech has created a Cloud Based virtual sample room to close this communication gap and further accelerate the approval process.

“The CLOUD base Virtual Sample solution with the digital database ready to use again and again is a phenomenal breakthrough”, commented Ashesh Amin, Chief Operating Officer of Adrianna Papell. “What a great solution, it really brings everyone on the same page very quickly. The Tukatech team has done wonders for our business not only with varied end to end solutions but also business process reengineering. In such a short time, we make very complicated dresses. We were doing everything manually but Tukatech made us totally digital in a few months”, he added.

“The speed and ease (with TUKA3D) is amazing”, says Arshad Sattar, Managing Director of Timex Group, “we make almost 1,000 new styles per month. The dresses, blouses, pants and skirts require fit, understanding of fabric draping and we make for some of the biggest brands like, Elie Tahari, Maggy London, Polo, CHAPS – Ralph Lauren, NEXT, Stein Mart, Chico’s, M & Co., and dozens of other European, Canadian and American companies. Without getting faster design and approval, we simply could not be in the fashion business. Designers are looking at uploaded samples at their convenience anywhere using mobile or other devices. They can see the 3-D sample; zoom, pan, rotate the sample, just like they will in real life on a real person. In addition there is a video showing how garment and fabric drapes, in tension and X-RAY mode enabling the viewer to see if there are any fit issues. All the colorways, print and embroidery placement can also be viewed. Upon analyzing the 3-D sample and the video they can make comments, and the system automatically informs the pattern maker who can see and read the comments, make the required corrections and send the new sample almost immediately. The system informs the individuals or the designated group to view and approve the final garment. Once the garment is approved for production, it now goes in the Asset Library so designers can use it for future development,” added Sattar.

“The hardest thing is communicating fashion on paper with sketches and instructions. Tech Packs are open to interpretation first at the Tech Designer’s level who is trying to understand what the designer wants and then by vendors. The actual design process starts when the FIRST SAMPLE arrives and it almost always starts with a comment from a designer, “this is not what I wanted.” With a physical sample in front of the designer, the changes and the design process starts.  However by that time 20 to 30 days have passed and a lot of resources have been invested with no gain” says Ram Sareen, founder and CEO, Tukatech, “We wanted the entire supply chain to be visually connected and go back in time when we were able to design under one roof, where everyone communicated effectively. The designer spoke to the pattern maker many times referring to old styles.  New changes and somehow (based on old blocks, experience, understanding of fit model’s shape and size) the pattern maker made the pattern, got a sample cut and sewn and it was on the fit model’s body. During the fit session, the pattern maker and the sample sewer were present. The designer made changes if needed and got the FINAL SAMPLE, on the same day or by the next day. The cloud based VISUAL SOLUTION is a community based solution where all blocks in -3D samples reside by each division, brand, season and product type. The files are complete with 2-D flat pattern, fit model’s body, type of fabric, the measurement chart and all the integrated information, ready to use again to develop new garments”, added Mr. Sareen.

In El Salvador, Apparel Leaders Juan Zighelboim, David Ha, John Ha and Henry Kim of Appletree Group, OA Apparel and TexOps have been enjoying the benefits of 3D fit and prototyping since 2009.  As a result, their brand-retail partners have substantially increased their order bookings.  Shorter development cycle times have allowed for smarter buying decisions making win-win scenarios the norm, as reported by upper management of these three groups. “The Cloud Based Collaborative solution will further enhance our business model,” commented Zighelboim.

“TUKA3D and TUKAcad have brought tremendous efficiency to our design and development and helped us with growing our business. We are very excited to start with Cloud Solutions for one of our biggest customers, Tom Tailor,” said Devender Gupta, one of the founders of ASMARA, one of the largest sourcing and design companies with offices and factories all over Asia.

“We needed to shorten the product development time and TUKA3D and their Cloud Based solutions are a perfect fit for us,” added Dinesh Virwani, the Managing Director of the Hong Kong Based EPIC Group. “We make over six million garments per month in hundreds of styles, the only way we can grow our business is to have more developments in a shorter time period with fewer people. This is what TUKATECH has done with their solutions installed at all our facilities worldwide,” added Ranju Mahtani, CEO of THE EPIC GROUP.   

“Today, there are many eCommerce retailers using TUKA3D for designing, developing, and uploading their realistic looking digital assets. They do not require a photo shoot, inventory, or warehousing; the best part is no markdowns. This is “Demand Manufacturing”. This is the best way to be profitable and be ahead of everyone else. We are proud to be labelled as the “DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIST” and want our customers to be number one,” Sareen said.

TUKA3D comes with digital replicas of over 500 fit models of brands and retailers. These are developed from scans or sculpted from detail measurements. These are supplied to vendors approved by brands or retailers. There is a database of 150 pre-set digital fabrics and hundreds of appropriate motions for real time evaluation of fit. TUKATECH provides free services for making custom models with pattern slopers and custom motions for users during the warranty and software support period. The TUKA3D system comes complete with TUKAdesign, TUKAtailor, eFIT, eDESIGN and eCOMMERCE modules, training, implementation and support.

TUKA3D is the only 3D system with built-in motion simulator for FIT Development and verification of FIT with color tension Mapping, X-Ray vision, and many other features to simulate a real fit session. It compares to an actual fit session without making any physical samples. Many retailers have eliminated physical samples while approving digital samples to save time and resources.

Posted December 2, 2014

Source: Tukatech
 

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